Shoe expander



J. HES SEL SHOE EXPANDER May 5, 1931.

Filed May 9, 1950 hyvenyt'or I]. Has sel Patented May 5, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE? JOSEPH HESSEL, or wmNIr d'MAniroBA, GANADA SHOE EXPANDER Application filed May 9, 1930. Serial No. 451,068.

date various lengthofjshoes, such being ac-..

complished by providing attached heel blocks which can be quickly'placed'in working or nonworking positions. to increase or diminish the length ofthe expander dependingdon the length of shoe in which it is to be use I e i r y A further object is to provide novel? con- Zb nections for connecting the heel blocks to,-

. gether and one of. the heel blocks to the heel portion of the expander, the connections per- Initting of the easy manipulation of the blocks and acting to hold them firmly in a position when in use or in stacked position whennot in use. p r A further object is to constructthe entire device in a simple, durable and inexpensive.

manner and so that thevarious parts will not become lost or misplaced.

.With the above more lmportantiobjects in View, the invention consists essentially in the arrangement andconstruction of parts hereinafter more particularly described, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, inwhichz J Fig. 1 is a side view of the rear part of the expanderas it appears in a boot, the boot being shown in vertical section. v

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view through the expander at 2- 2 FigureL,

Fig; 3 is a vertical sectional view at 3,.-3. FigureTZ. V i Fig.4 is a horizontal sectional view at as Figure .3. 4

eral: figures.

' Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view through the rear end of the expander and showing the heel blocks as they appear when one is in use'and the other is not in use.

Fig. 6 is'a view similar to Figure 5 with the heel blocks shown in their not in'useposition.

, Fig. 7 is a perspective view ofone of the expanding arms. Y 4 i In the drawing like characters of referenceindicatecorresponding parts in the sev- The. expander body embodies right and left heel sections 1 and 2 and right and left toe sections 3 and 4, theheel sections being fastened together bysuitab'ly located bolts 5 and 6 andthe'toe sections beingv pivoted to the heel' sections by hinges 7 and 8, the hinges permitting the toe sections to swing outwardly or inwardly as desired. The heel and 5 "toe sections are shaped so that they simulate the human foot and such that when placed in a shoe, will more or less fit it. The heel sections are both provided with mating cavities 9 to receive a gear casing 10, m V the gear casing embodylng a relatively long horizontally disposed sleeve 11 adapted to receive slidably the rear screw threaded .endof a'jack screw or worm 12. A forward bevel gear 13 is mounted on the jack screw between the forward end-of the casing and the forward end of the sleeve and this bevel gear meshes continuously with a further bevel gear 14 secured to the'lower endof an upstanding operating spindle 15 provided at so its upper end witha hand wheel 16. p The jack screw extends slidably through the forward end of thecasing and between the toe sections, thetoe sections being both cut awayina semicirculanmannergas indis5 cated at 15 to receive it. The forward eX- tremity'of the jack screw enters a substantially rectangular cavity A formed in thetoe sections and to the forward extremity ofthe jack screw, I attach pivotally by a pin 12 0e similar right and left expanding arms 17 and 18, these arms having their forward ends pivotally attached by similar pins 19 and 20 to the toe sections.

Rearwardly the heel sections are recessed at 21 to receive the rearwardly extending end of the jack screw and the recesses formed in the heel portions 1 and 2 snugly receive the gear casing and freely receive the gears, the arrangement being such that when the sections 1 and 2 are bolted together, tie gear casing is firmly held in place but the gears and jack screw are free to operate when aetuated by the spindle 15 through the manipulation of the hand wheel. It will be obvious that when the hand wheel is turned in one direction, the jack screw will be advanced and the forward ends of the arms 17 and 18 expanded to spread the toe sections 3 and 4 and that upon a reverse movement of the jack screw, the toe sections will be drawn together.

YVhen the device is to be used in a small size shoe, the rear ends of the heel sections 1 and 2 will engage the heel portion of the shoe being rounded to accommodate the same and one will stretch the toe part of the shoe by turning the hand wheel in the proper direction to cause the toe portions 3 and l to expand the desired amount. It is desirable in an. article of this kind that it be able to accommodate different sizes of shoes and to this end I have provided heel blocks which are attached to the expander and can be manipulated as desired and in the manner shortly described.

Two heel blocks 22 and 23 are herein shown and they can be made from hard wood, light metal or other similar material. The inner heel block 22 is provided with a vertical longitudinally extending centrally disposed slot 24 in its upper end and the rear heel block 23 is provided with a central longitudinally extending vertical. slot 25 in its lower end and both heel blocks are provided centrally with cross pins 26 and 27 and the pins are connected by a coiled spring 28. r

An open centered link 29 is located in the slots 24 and 25 and has the open center thereof receiving the pins and the spring. This link limits the spreading of the blocks and also acts to prevent undue lateral swinging of the blocks when the same are manipulated. A vertical slot 30 is also provided between the heel sections 1 and 2 and a pin 81 crosses this latter slot and is connected also to the pin 26 by a coiled spring 32. An open centered rectangular link 33 receives the pins 26 and 31 and also the spring 32 and this link serves to limit the back pulled position of the block 22 and also to prevent undue lateral displacement of the latter block when the same is being manipulated.

When the expander is to be used in a short shoe, the blocks are swung up to the not in use position shown in Figure 6 where it will be observed they lie side by side on top of the heel sections 1 and 2. The spring 32 is at this time holding the blocks seated on the heel portions and the spring 28 is holding the blocks tightly together and the links are preventing lateral displacement thereof.

If a relatively large shoe is to be stretched, the blocks are swung down from the position shown in Figure 6 to that shown in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the drawing and here it will be observed that the block 22 is to the rear of the heel sections 1 and 2 and directly behind the jack screw and that the block 23 is directly to the rear of the block 22. The springs and links allow of the ready swinging down of the blocks from the position shown in Figure 6 to that shown in Figure 3 as the springs will expand to accommodate any out movement of the blocks required and the links guide the same.

If an intermediate length shoe is to be stretched, the block 22 is retained in the position occupied in Figure 3 and the block 23 is swung upwardly to the position shown in Figure 5 where it sits end on the block 22 and is held in place by the spring 28 and is prevented from lateral displacement by the link 29.

From the above it will be apparent that this device can be very readily operated to expand shoes encountered and that the length -of the device can be increasedor diminished by shifting the blocks and that the blocks are at all times attached to the article so that they cannot become lost or misplaced. It will also be particularly noted that the op erating spindle extends almost vertically and is located well aheadso that it does not contact in any way with the rear part of the shoe.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a shoe expander, a pair of mating heel sections permanently fastened together and providing an-internal cavity, a gear casing housed within the cavity, mating toe sections pivotally connected to the heel sections, a jack screw slidably carried by the gear casing and having the forward end thereof extending between the toe sections, expansion arms pivotally connected to the forward end of the jack screw and received within mating cavities provided in the toe sections and pivotally attached to the toe sections, a bevel pinion mounted on the jack screw and prevented from end shifting by the gear casing, an upwardly extending spindle rotatably carried by the gear casing and provided at its upper end with a hand wheel, and a bevel gear secured to the lower end of the spindle and engaging the former bevel gear.

2. A shoe expander comprising a pair of mating heel sections bolted together and providing an interior cavity, a gear casing housed within said cavity and embodying an elongated sleeve, a pair of mating toe sections hingedly secured to the heel sections, a jack screw slidably carried by the front end of the gear casing and the sleeve and extending forwardly between the toe sections, the toe sections being recessed toreceive it, a pair of expansion arms pivotally connected to the forward end of the jack screw and received within similar opposing cavities provided in the inner faces of the toe sections, pivot pins connecting the forward ends of the arms to the toe sections, a bevel gear mounted on the jack screw between the forward end of the casing and the sleeve, a vertically disposed spindle rotatably carried by the casing and passing upwardly between the heel sections and provided at the upper end with a hand wheel, and a bevel gear secured to the lower end of the spindle and continuously in mesh with the former bevel gear.

3. In a shoe expander, the combination with the heel portion thereof, of a heel block connected to the heel portion of the expander and a second heel block connected to the former heel block, the connection between the heel blocks permitting of the second heel block taking a position to the rear or above the other heel block and the connection between the first heel block and the expander heel portion permitting of both blocks taking a not in use position above the heel portion of the expander or the first heel block a position to the rear of the heel portion.

4. The combination with the heel portion of a shoe expander, of an extension heel block Signed at Winnipeg, this 20th day of March, 1929.

V JOSEPH HESSEL.

connected to the heel portion of the expander by a swinging link operating in suitable slots provided in the block and the heel portion of the expander, and a second heel block connected to 'thefirst heel block by a swinging V link locatedin suitable slots provided in the blocks. 7

5. The combination with the heel portion of a shoe expander, of an extension heel block, an open centered link, pivot pins carried by the heel portion of the expander'and by the heel block and passing through the open center of the link, said heel portion and heel block being vertically slotted to receive the link, and a spring connecting the pins. 6. The combination with the heel portion of a shoe expander, the expander having an upwardly extending centrally located vertical slot therein, of a pin crossing the slot, a centrally vertically slotted heel block engageable with the heel portion of theexpander, a pin crossing the latter slot, an open centered link contained within the slots and receiving the pins aforesaid, and a coiled spring connecting the pins.

7 The combination with the heel portion of a shoe expander, the expander having an upwardly extending centrally located vertical slot therein, of a pin crossing the slot, a

centrally vertically slotted heel block engageable with the heel portion of the expander, a pin crossing the latter slot, an 

